Google and AI are in the hot seat again, Meta finds a work-around, and more

Happy Friday, Digital Darlings,

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It seems like all eyes have been on the DNC this week, but there's plenty of other news brewing in the tech world, and I'm here to spill the tea. It's hotter than your first PSL of the season, so let's get into it!

Every week it seems like Google is caught in the crossfire of another major legal drama. This week, it's Chrome under the judicial microscope. The tech giant must now face the music as a federal appeals court just hit rewind on a previous dismissal, reviving a class action lawsuit that accuses Google of sneakily collecting user data through Chrome without consent-I, for one, am shocked! The juicy details? Allegedly, Chrome's "sync" feature wasn't as harmless as it seemed, with plaintiffs claiming Google snagged their browsing history, IP addresses, and more, all while playing coy with privacy disclosures. But don't worry, darlings, the case is headed back to the lower courts, where the real showdown is just beginning. Also sending in their lawyers is one of the darlings of AI...

Looks like Anthropic may have been naughty and is facing a lawsuit over some IP theft allegations. Allegedly, the chatbot has been trained on pirated versions of copyrighted work and the findings have plaintiffs claiming that the company has "made a mockery of its lofty goals". Ouch. It's yet to be seen if this sends shockwaves through the world of digital marketing, but it's certainly worth keeping an eye on if AI's a key part of your content strategy. The risks of relying on these tools might be bigger than you thought, and this drama could reshape how we use AI in marketing. And actions like this certainly don't help to assuage the strong fears that Fortune 500 companies have over AI in the workplace. The concerns over the future of AI and companies have flagged it as a risk factor 473.5% more this year than last. The U.S.'s biggest and most powerful businesses have started to see how the promise of AI can quickly go awry and are keeping a close eye on it. Enough about generative, and onto conversational AI…

Voice search has long been popular with Millennials, but Gen Z is getting in on the action. New findings released this week by PYMNTS found that Gen Z uses it for nearly a third of their purchases. As Millennials and Gen Z become increasingly important audiences, it's time for digital marketers to make sure they're keeping up with this important trend. Jake The Marketing Wizard has some tips on how you can capitalize on this trend and make sure your site ranks in voice searches, including putting a commonly asked question in your h2 tag and answering that question in one, concise sentence in your h3 tag. His content is great and is worth a follow, but I'll definitely keep tabs on this trend for you as well. In exciting social news…

Snapchat's shaking things up with fresh updates to its ad tools and creative options, making it easier to craft engaging, targeted campaigns. For digital marketers, this is your chance to get more bang for your buck on the platform, especially with these new tools designed to boost ad performance. If you've been sleeping on Snapchat, it's time to wake up and take advantage of these shiny new features. But Snap certainly isn't the only social platform to keep an eye on.

The latest buzz around TikTok is a mixed bag, and digital marketers need to listen up. While TikTok's growth in the EU is holding steady, its ad spend growth in the U.S. is slowing down as the threat of a ban looms large. This could shake up your ad strategies, darlings, as the platform's future becomes more uncertain. If TikTok's your go-to, it might be time to diversify your playbook. Stay savvy-because in this game, adaptation is everything.

Meta's up to something big with new web crawlers that can dance around traditional scraping blocks, even bypassing the trusty robots.txt file. For digital marketers, this means Meta may be collecting even more data than before, which could supercharge ad targeting but also raise some serious privacy eyebrows. If you're in the game, keep an eye on how this could shift the digital landscape. We'll see how this plays out, but I'm intrigued to see the next play the blockers make to ensure that some things on the interwebs remain sacred.

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And that's a wrap on this week's deluge of digital developments. From the courts getting super involved in tech to AI always moving the goalposts, there's no shortage of intrigue. Keep your strategies sharp and your eyes peeled as we navigate this ever-evolving landscape. Make sure to give your furry friends some extra love on International Dog Day on Monday and I'll see you next Friday, my Darlings…

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You know you love me.

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